It all started over a hundred years ago and has grown into one of the world's most famous and enduring myths. There have been plenty of films, photographs and eye-witness accounts offered as evidence. But definite proof remains as elusive as the creature itself. As an international research group once again attempts to settle the matter, BBC News Online looks at the latest search and the history of the hunt for Nessie.

24 April

Jan Sundberg is confident his team will get results

Jan Sundberg, leader of the Swedish team believes previous expeditions failed because they did not have the equipment available to his team. With so many sightings of Nessie over the years, Mr Sundberg thinks there may be some truth in the legend. He spoke to Jackie O'Brien from BBC Scotland.

For centuries, there have been stories of strange creatures in Loch Ness. But modern day reports did not start until 1933. Local resident, Mrs John Mackay, thought she saw a creature in the water that year, but she told no one apart from her disbelieving husband until 1988.

Webcams keep a constant watch on the loch with cameras positioned where most of the sightings have been. In 1999 Nora and Mike Jones from Galveston, Texas, were monster-spotting over the net from their home when they saw a dark shape. They are convinced it was the legendary Nessie.

In 1992, the latest hi-tech sonar equipment was used to search for the Loch Ness monster. With military-style surveillance technology and backed by a range of experts, a research team began a full-scale search of the loch.

A thriving tourist industry has grown up around the shores of Loch Ness as the community seeks to make the most of its mystery. Someone else always wants a piece of the action though, as Nessie's guardians discovered in 1998.

Despite the enchanting stories that have grown up around the creature of the loch, there are still those who claim the monster of legend is far more ordinary than its fans believe. Naturalist Adrian Shine of the Loch Ness project is one of those who thinks claims of a prehistoric creature are decidedly fishy.